Pitch to help launch 2018 World Cup bid while the FA restructures

The agency has been hired on a project basis to help launch the bid at Wembley and to provide PR support for the initial stage of the campaign.

Kris Dent, the recently app­ointed comms director for the 2018 team, confirmed Pitch’s appointment and said the bid would seek further agency support in the coming months.

‘We will be appointing several agencies for the domestic work, which will include some regional agencies,’ he said. ‘We will also be looking to app­oint a retained agency to handle the international elements.’

It is thought these appointments will focus on media rel­ations, with the in-house team taking control of the key lobbying aspect of the campaign.

The launch next week will include senior members of the England bid team, footballers past and present and politicians.

‘The aim of the launch will be to show that the whole of English football is united beh­ind the goal to bring the 2018 Cup here,’ said Dent.

WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell is on the bid’s board and the group has been helping with comms support.

Separately, The Football Association has hired Scott Field as its new head of media relations. He joins the organisation next month and replaces Andrin Cooper, who left The FA in January to join UEFA.

His role will include internal communications, public relations, governance and regulation matters, women’s football and comms management of FA competitions.

Field, who will report to ­director of communications Adrian Bevington, was previously director of comms at Watford FC.